Australia: Questionable Cuisine

It’s pretty common knowledge that Australia has some of the most unique flora and fauna in the world. With that being said, some of the food they cook does not translate to other parts of the world. For instance, the CAPA program I am here with treated us to lunch the other day at a quaint little place near the Sydney harbor. They started us out with a simple house salad and potato wedges with a sour cream dip, which tasted completely normal. When the servers started bringing out the pizza that had been pre-ordered, they were informing us what was on them. To my surprise and original reaction of disgust, kangaroo and crocodile were the two pizzas they considered to be a delicacy. After some deep contemplation, I decided to take my taste buds on an adventure and try both. The kangaroo (which is the top half with the dark meet) had a beef-like texture with more of a distinct taste to it, but they also seasoned it with a lot of spices to give it an extra kick. The crocodile half of the pizza had more of a chewy chicken-like taste and texture, which I preferred over the kangaroo. This could possibly be because of the fact that kangaroos are cute, fluffy mammals, while crocodiles are cold-blooded killers. I was proud of myself for trying both, but did not care to have another slice of either.

With that being said, my roommates and I have been cooking most of our meals, especially since we are all still on a college budget. Thankfully, Haley has crowned herself to be the master chef of the apartment and loves cooking for everyone (as long as we do the dishes). She has managed to cook us up some pretty awesome three course meals in less than an hour, so we never say no to letting her cook for us. But we did make a group decision that she will not be cooking kangaroo or crocodile for the duration of our stay.